Hebrews 7:1 - Meaning and Application

The last chapter ended by repeating a line taken more than once from Psalm 110:4, that Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. This chapter is like a sermon on that text. The apostle sets before his readers some of the deeper teaching he had mentioned before, hoping that, with more effort, they would be ready to receive it.

The first question is, who was Melchizedek? The Old Testament gives us only a small account of him in Genesis 14:18 and Psalm 110:4. God left us with very little on purpose, so Melchizedek would be a clearer picture of Christ, whose family line no one can fully trace. If people refuse to be content with what Scripture reveals, they end up with endless guesses. Some even imagined that he was an angel or the Holy Spirit.

Among the views worth considering, three stand out. Some Jewish writers, and many rabbis, thought he was Shem, the son of Noah, who ruled as king and priest among their ancestors. But it is unlikely that he would have changed his name like that, and there is no record of his settling in Canaan. Many Christian writers have thought Melchizedek was Jesus Christ himself, appearing to Abraham in a special way and known by that name. That fits some things very well, especially what is said in John 8:56, that Abraham saw Christ’s day and rejoiced. Yet it seems strange to make Christ a type, that is, a picture, of himself. The most common view is that Melchizedek was a Canaanite king who ruled in Salem and kept the true worship of God alive. God raised him up to point ahead to Christ, and Abraham honored him as such.

It is better to focus on what the apostle actually says about him and how those words point to Christ in Hebrews 7:1-3. Melchizedek was a king, and so is the Lord Jesus. Christ is God’s anointed King. His rule rests on his shoulders, and he reigns over all for the good of his people. Melchizedek was king of righteousness, because his name means “righteous king.” Jesus is a rightful King and a righteous King. He has the right to rule, and his rule is just. He is the Lord our righteousness. He has fulfilled all righteousness and brought in everlasting righteousness. He loves righteousness and those who live righteously, and he hates evil.

Melchizedek was also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He was first king of righteousness, and then king of peace. The same is true of the Lord Jesus. He made peace through his righteousness, and righteousness produces peace. Christ speaks peace, gives peace, and makes peace for us. He is our peacemaker.

Melchizedek was priest of the Most High God, specially qualified and set apart to serve God as priest among the Gentiles. So the Lord Jesus is the priest of the Most High God. Gentiles, that is, the nations, must come to God through him. Only through his priesthood can we receive forgiveness and be brought back to God.

Melchizedek is described as without father, without mother, without family line, having neither beginning of days nor end of life in the record (Hebrews 7:3). This should not be taken literally. Scripture leaves out his genealogy and record of birth and death so that he would serve as a better picture of Christ. As man, Christ was without father, and as God, without mother. His priesthood did not come to him from another person, and it does not pass from him to someone else. It is personal and lasting.

Melchizedek met Abraham as he returned from defeating the kings, and he blessed him. That story is in Genesis 14:18 and following. He brought out bread and wine to refresh Abraham and his men when they were worn out. He gave as a king and blessed as a priest. In the same way, the Lord Jesus meets his people in their spiritual struggles, refreshes them, strengthens them again, and blesses them.

Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything, that is, as the apostle explains, a tenth of the spoils (Hebrews 7:2). He did this as thanks for what Melchizedek had done, or as a sign that he honored him as king, or as an offering dedicated to God to be given through his priest. In the same way, we owe the Lord Jesus every possible response of love and gratitude for the rich blessings we receive from him. We should honor him as our King and place all our offerings in his hands, so that he may present them to the Father through the sweet value of his own sacrifice.

Melchizedek was made like the Son of God and remains a priest forever. He showed something of God’s image in his devotion and authority, and he stands in Scripture as a lasting high priest. He was an old picture of the one who is the eternal Son of the Father, who remains a priest forever.

Now we should consider how great Melchizedek was, and how much higher his priesthood was than Aaron’s line. The greatness of this man and his priesthood is shown, first, by Abraham giving him a tenth of the spoils. It is also important to note that Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek in Abraham (Hebrews 7:9). Levi received the priesthood from God and was to receive tithes from the people, yet even Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek, because he was in Abraham. That shows Melchizedek was greater than the Levitical priests, and the later high priest foreshadowed by Melchizedek must be far greater still.

This also helps explain how we can be said to have sinned in Adam and fallen with him in his first sin. We were in Adam’s loins, that is, in his family line and in his nature, when he sinned. The guilt and corruption that came into human nature then are justly counted to that same nature in all who come from him naturally. They truly belong to that nature, and only God’s grace can remove them.

The greatness of Melchizedek also appears in his blessing of Abraham, who had the promises. Without argument, the lesser is blessed by the greater (Hebrews 7:6-7). Abraham’s honor and happiness were great, because he had God’s promises. He was in covenant with God, and God had given him very great and precious promises. A person is truly rich and blessed who holds God’s promises like signed and sealed bonds from God’s own hand. Those promises include blessings for this life and the life to come. That honor belongs to all who receive the Lord Jesus, in whom all God’s promises are yes and amen.

Melchizedek’s greater honor is seen in the fact that it was his place and privilege to bless Abraham. And it is a settled rule that the lesser is blessed by the greater (Hebrews 7:7). The one who gives the blessing is greater than the one who receives it.

So Christ, the one Melchizedek points to, is greater than all the priests of Aaron’s line. Christ is the one who earns these blessings for us and acts as the Mediator, the one who brings people and God together, to give all blessings to the children of men.